THE SECOND SUNDAY OF ADVENT

SECOND SUNDAY OF ADVENT
4 DECEMBER, 2022

In his days shall justice flourish, and great peace forever.

FIRST READING – ISAIAH 11:1-10
There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse, and a branch from his roots shall bear fruit. And the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord. And his delight shall be in the fear of the Lord.

He shall not judge by what his eyes see or decide disputes by what his ears hear, but with righteousness he shall judge the poor, and decide with equity for the meek of the earth, and he shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth and with the breath of his lips he shall kill the wicked. Righteousness shall be the belt of his waist, and faithfulness the belt of his loins.

The wolf shall dwell with the Lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the young goat, and the calf and the lion and the fattened calf together, and a little child shall lead them. The cow and the bear shall gaze, their young shall lie down together, and the lion shall eat straw like the ox.

The nursing child shall play over the hole of the cobra, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the adder’s den. They shall not hurt or destroy in all my holy mountain, for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea. In that day the root of Jesse, who shall stand as a signal for the peoples – of him shall the nations inquire, and his resting place shall be glorious.

SECOND READING – ROMAN 15:4-9
For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that trough endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope. May the God of endurence and encouragement grant you to live in such harmony with one another, in accord with Jesus Christ, that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God. For I tell you that Christ become a servant to the circumcised to show God’s truthfulness, in order to confirm the promises given to the patriarchs, and in order that the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy. As it is written,  “Therefore I will praise you among the Gentiles and sing to your name.”

GOSPEL READING – MATTHEW 3:1-12

In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea,  “Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand.”  For this is he who was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah when he said,  “The voice of one crying in the wilderness:  ‘Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.’ Now John wore a garment of camel’s hair and a leather belt around his waist, and his foot was locusts and wild honey.

Then Jerusalem and all Judea and all the region about the Jordan were going out to him, and they were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins. But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them,  “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Bear fruit in keeping with repentance. And do not presume to say to yourselves,” We have Abraham as our father, ‘ for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children for Abraham. Even now the axe is laid to the root of the trees.

Every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.” I baptize you with water for repentance, but he who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor and gather his wheat into the barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.”

St. John the Baptist is a prominent figure who appears often during the Season of Advent with his powerful message. Today’s Gospel introduces him preaching from the wilderness of Judea, living on lucusts and wild honey and wearing a garment of camel’s hair with a leather belt around his waist. This shows that he is a man with a mission, living a life of austerity and simplicity. But his message is stern and straight, piercing ears and hearts, exhorting people to. “repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” His message is particularly directed to the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to him for baptism.

There is much to be changed, and there is an urgency in the situation because the One who is going to baptise with the Holy Spirit and fire is coming soon. The Baptist’s messege is as relevant for us today as it was before the coming of the Messiah. Conversion is an ongoing process. There is need to repent and return to the ways of the Lord daily so that the Kingdom of God can take root and grow in us.

“It is a beautiful task of Advent to awaken in all of us memories of goodness and thus open the doors of hope.”   —Pope Benedict XVI

Advent comes from the Latin Ad-ventus which means COMING. So it’s a season of Waiting, Hoping, Expecting and Preparing for the COMING of our Messiah. May the Lord enlighten our life with His light of Peace. May He bless our heart, life, relationship, marriage and family with PEACE.

The second Sunday of Advent gives us the opportunity to prepare our hearts in faithful waiting, celebrate the birth of Jesus, and ready ourselves for his second coming. It’s a beautiful chance to reflect on the ways prophecy has been fulfilled and to ponder what the future (promised to us through prophecies) will bring.

After a chaotic year, there is comfort to be found when we pause to read, pray, and reflect over the course of the Advent season…a time when believers eagerly anticipate the celebration of Christ’s birth.

We pause to remember who God is and what He has done for us. When our lives are hurried, we only have the chance to focus on our to-do lists. Making space in our schedules for prayer and meditation helps us to better see God at work in our lives and in our world.

(Excerpts : crosswalk.com)

A PRAYER FOR PEACE

Father, prepare our hearts to celebrate your birth joyfully! We thank you for faithfully doing what you promised long ago when you sent your Son to earth so that we might have the chance to become part of your family. Let the promise of your second coming inspire us to live with hope and purpose, promoting peace in the world.

As we wait for your plan to unfold, give us the patience we need. Remind us of the peace we can access when we take time to still ourselves before you and remember that you are God. We thank you that you are both sovereign and gracious. We await the Messiah, who is the Prince of Peace. Amen